24 Crazy & Funny Elf Ideas
The holiday season just wouldn’t be complete without the mischievous charm of Elf on the Shelf! Whether you’re a first-time elf parent or a seasoned pro, keeping your elf’s antics fresh can be a fun (and sometimes tricky) challenge. That’s why we’ve rounded up 24 creative Elf on the Shelf ideas: from simple setups that even the busiest parents can pull off, to advanced, jaw-dropping scenes that will wow your kids and spark endless holiday giggles. Get ready to sprinkle some extra magic into your home this season, one elf adventure at a time!
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DAY 1: RETURN OF THE ELF
- Easy: Elf appears in the Christmas tree with a “I’m back!” note.
- Advanced: Create an airport-style arrival scene with fake snow, a suitcase, and a printed North Pole passport
- Props: suitcase, fake snow, printable boarding pass.
Day 2: Zip Line Zoom
- Easy: Hang the Elf from string using a candy cane as a handle.
- Advanced: Build a full zip line across the room with cotton-wool snow landing zone.
- Props: string or ribbon, candy cane, cotton balls.
Day 3: Toilet Bowl Breakfast
- Easy: Elf perched on the toilet lid with toilet roll everywhere.
- Advanced: Fill the toilet bowl with cereal and float a spoon — “Elf’s breakfast gone wrong!”
- Props: cereal, spoon, toilet roll, Cling Film
Day 4: Croc Attack
- Easy: Elf floating in the bath
- Advanced: Elf dangles above the “Croc-infested water” using string or a coat hanger.
- Props: Crocs, string, towel, bath
Day 5: Sweet Swap
- Easy: Elf eating the kids sweets
- Advanced: Swap all the chocolates for Brussels sprouts with a note saying “I hope you enjoy”
- props: sprouts, ferrero rocher
Day 6: I Peed My Pants
- Easy: Elf sitting beside a pile of frozen peas.
- Advanced: Spell out “I PEED MY PANTS” in peas — simple, silly and guaranteed laughs!
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Props: frozen peas, tray or counter space.
Day 7: Underwear Mayhem
- Easy: Elf wearing pants on its head.
- Advanced: Elf’s decorated the tree with everyone’s underwear. Naughty!
- Props: clean underwear, decorations
Day 8: light saber adventure
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Easy: Elf sitting in shoe with prop light saber/swords (prop up against bin/box)
Advanced: you can make this more advanced by playing star wars music, turning off the lights and switching on light sabres! - Props: light sabre (shop below!), shoe
Day 9: Elf gone fishing
- Easy: elf sitting beside the sink with sweets in the sink
- Advanced: tie a sweet to a toothpick with some string at pop it in the sink
- Props: toothpick, sweets, string.
Day 10: Water Bottle Tour
- Easy: Elf inside a clear water bottle/jar - let me out!
- Advanced: Add a note saying I want to see your world - Take the Elf out for the day car, shops, lunch and show the kids the photos later.
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Props: clear bottle/jar
Day 11: Baking Gone Wrong
- Easy: Elf covered in flour with a whisk.
- Advanced: Flour footprints, burnt biscuits, and a note: “I tried”
- Props: flour, whisk, biscuits.
Day 12: Clingfilm Trickster
- Easy: Stretch clingfilm across a doorway Elf watching the chaos.
- Advanced: Clingfilm the toilet seat and position the Elf nearby giggling!
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Props: clingfilm, tape.
Day 13: Elf spaghetti
- Easy: Elf sitting on fork with sweetie spaghetti (like in the movie)
- Advanced: you can glue the fork to a long toothpick to make it look like its floating!
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Props: glue gun, toothpicks, polystyrene square, spaghetti, sweets
Day 14: Snowball Fight
- Easy: Elf surrounded by cotton wool balls/marshmallows
- Advanced: Toy army mid-battle with marshmallows flying everywhere!
- Props: marshmallows, cotton balls, action figures or a dolls house!
Day 15: Spa Day
- Easy: Elf relaxing in cotton balls.
- Advanced: Mini towel turban, candles, and a “Me-Time” sign.
- Props: cotton balls, towel, tealights (battery).
Day 16: Drawn-on Faces
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- Easy: Elf stuck on a photo - a sign saying I am the art
- Advanced: Elf’s doodled moustaches on printed family photos.
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Props: washable marker, photo frames.
Day 17: Toy Takeover
- Easy: Elf building a Lego tower.
- Advanced: Toys have built a Lego prison and trapped the Elf inside — complete with a “No more pranks!” sign.
- Props: Lego bricks, toys, mini sign.
Day 18: Balloon Bonanza
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- Easy: Elf holding a balloon.
- Advanced: Fill a hallway/kids bedroom with balloons — “Elf threw a party overnight!”
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Props: balloons, marker pen (to draw faces)
Day 19: Chocolate Heist
- Easy: Elf eating a large bar of chocolate.
- Advanced: Half-eaten wrappers everywhere — sign reads “I regret nothing!”
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Props: chocolates, wrappers.
Day 20: Movie Night
- Easy: Elf with popcorn and a remote.
- Advanced: Mini cinema scene with fairy lights, tickets, and snacks.
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Props: popcorn, fairy lights, ticket stub.
Day 21: Frozen Elf
- Easy: Elf in the freezer trying to make more snowballs!
- Advanced: Freeze the Elf halfway in a clear container — “Frozen in the North Pole!”
- Props: marshmallows, freezer space
Day 22: Laundry Line Mess
- Easy: Elf hanging from a peg on the clothes horse.
- Advanced: Elf has pegged everyone’s pants and socks around the kitchen!
- Props: clothes pegs, washing line, underwear
Day 23: The Glitter Explosion
- Easy: Elf sitting with an open glitter pot or confetti.
- Advanced: Glitter or confetti scattered all over the table with a note saying “Oops…”
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Props: glitter, confetti, paper, tape.
Day 24: Christmas Eve Box & Farewell
Easy: Elf sitting beside the Christmas Eve Box ready to open.
Advanced: Full “Elf Farewell Breakfast” — Christmas Eve box surrounded by hot chocolate, PJs, and a goodbye note - change the kids bedding
🎁 Check out Xmas Eve Box on a Budget blog here
A message from an ELF
you can download this free image and have it ready for the big day!
Thats a 'wrap'!
So, there you have it, all sorted for the big 24 day countdown with those naughty Elves! Make sure you check out our other blogs for all things Christmas, from Xmas Eve Boxes on a budget, to the best Christmas dinner price comparisons!
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Happy Christmas from Us and The Elves!
